Coal-handling plant.



C. S. WILLIAMSON.

COAL HANDLING PLANT. APPLICATION FILED IULY 20.1912. 1,205,303. Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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C. S. WILLIAMSON.

COAL HANDLING PLANT.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 20.1912.

' 1,205,803.' Pa1@n1edN0v,21,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES S. WILLIAMSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COAL-HANDLING- PLAIN T.

mossos.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Non. 21, 1916.

Application led July 20, 1912. Serial No. 710,559.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it `known that I, CHARLES S. WILLIAM- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, andState of Illinois, (whose post-oice address is care of Mead-Morrison Mfg. Co., 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois,) have invented new and useful Improvements inv Coal-Handling Plants, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide means for handling coal and for loading the coal into cars, either box cars or gondola cars, the loading operation being carried out at high speed, but without smashing or disintegrating the coal even though it be in large lumps. Y

The characteristic features of my present invention are set forth more at length in the detailed description which is to be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawm s.

n the drawings, Figure 1, is a side elevation of part of a coal handling plant, equipped in accordance with my present invention for the ready handling and loading of lump coal. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, includes a steel bridge structure 1 mounted on suitable trucks k2 and adapted for movement along a trackway of wide gage which parallels a railroadtrack for the cars to be loaded. For` the sake of simplicity, only the relevant portions of the complete bridge structure are shown in Fig. 1, the elevator, screens, storage bins, and the like beingomitted for the sake of simplicity in the drawings.

Near the top of the bridge structure is a fifty ton hopper 3 into which run-of-mine coal can be dumped from the grab bucket of the traveling bridge ordinarily used with such a plant as that herein disclosed. Coal from this hopper 3 may be discharged through suitable feeders to downwardly in clined shaking screens 4 and 5, the uppermost being of large mesh,V say two inch and the lowermost of smaller mesh, say one inch. These screens are shaken by means of connecting rods 6 and 7 actuated in suitable manner from a motor driven eccentric 8. 'Small coal passing through screens 1 and 5 is collected in suitable twenty-five ton hoppers 9 and 10 from which it may be loaded to cars in suitable manner. The larger or lump coal is delivered from the screens across a stationary apron 11 to the platform 12 of a chain conveyer running transverse to the screens or transverse to the line of movement of the coal as it passes from' those screens.

The transverse chain conveyer comprises, in addition to the platform 12, a large loadlng spout 13 at the forward end of that platform and receiving coal directly therefrom. The movement of coal across platform 12 and into the open upper end of spout 13 is effected by a chain conveyer extending over the sheaves 14, 15 and 16 and having flights or cross plates 17 which push the coal forward into the open end of spout 13. This chain conveyer may be driven 'in suitable manner as from an electric motor 18. Spout 13 1s positioned to deliver coal to a side dool` box car'and in order that the coal may not attain a dangerous or destructive speed during lts descent through the spout, a plurality of retarders 19 may be placed in the spout, each consisting of a weight 20 carried on the end of a pivotally mounted arm at the upper end of which is a cross board 21 1n the path of the moving coal. In normal operation, coal will accumulate at the cross boards, until there is enough to lift the counter weight and so flip the retarders and release the coal.

A second spoutl 22 is mounted near the outer end of the transverse conveyer and is to be used for loading the coal into high side gondola cars. rllhis spout is mounted on wheels or trucks 23 and when not in use, can be pushed back out of the way of brakemen riding on the top of box cars. `Whenthis spout 22 is in use the entrance to spout 13 is closed by a horizontal metal plate slipped in from the side of the conveyer at 24.

Loading spout 13 does not extend into the doorway of the box car to be loaded, but is supplemented by a loadingfstructure indicated by the numeral 31.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a source of coal supply mounted on wheels and adapted to occupy two parallel yadjacent rails and inclined vscreens over which the coal is passed, a transverse conveyer for car ing the larger lumps of coal ofi" at right ang es to said track at the bottom of the screen, and a spout communicating from said conveyer dir ectly to the container to be loaded, said container and all associated mechanismjbeing'mounted on a track parallel with the cars to be loaded and arranged to occupy said track alone.

I 2.. A device of the character described, comprising the combination of a supporting structure arranged along a single track comprising two parallel and adjacent rails and supported thereon upon wheels with an inclined separator, a platform extending transversely of the lower end of said separator and arranged substantially below the adjacent end of the separator, an apron connecting said platform with said separator, a flight conveyer operating over said platform, and a spout extending from said platform at right angles to the supporting structure, whereby coal or the like may be sized and screened and gently deposited in a car or other container without danger of breakage.

3. In a device of lthe character described, the combination of an inclined Separator mounted on rails parallel with cars to be filled, a conveyer extending transversely of said separator and adapted to receive material therefrom without; breakage or injury, an inclined spout leading from the medial portion of said conveyer, and retarding means mounted within said spout.

4. The combination with an inclined screen adapted to separate different grades of coal, a transversely extending conveyer operatively connected with the lower end of said screen for checking and conveying the large coal passing over said screen, an inclined spout leading from the medial portion of said conveyer, and pivotally mounted retarding lingers extending within said spout for the purpose specified.

ln witness whereof, l hereunto subscribe my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES S. WILLIAMSUN.

Witnesses:

C. C. BROOKS, G. ALYEA. 

